World Cup 2014: activists threaten the tournament

The 2014 FIFA World Cup is under threat from Brazilian online activists. The group making the threats say they will target official websites in an attempt to vent their frustrations over the extravagance of the competition is a predominantly poor nation. The group are known to the police under the name “Anonymous” but it won’t be the police keeping tabs on them. The Brazilian Army has said that they will provide protection where they can, but “Anonymous” have responded: “We are already making plans... I don't think there is much they can do to stop us.”

The activists are targeting the competition because it offers a massive audience across the globe. They will target sites owned and operated by FIFA, the sport’s sponsors and the Brazilian government. “The attacks will be directed against official websites and those of companies sponsoring the cup,” one activist told Reuters. The most likely disruptions will come from “distributed denial of service attacks” which overrun a site with traffic to make it crash. “It's fast, damaging and relatively simple to carry out,” the activist told Reuters.

The tournament is going to cost the host nation £8.4billion. That incredible level of spending has only highlighted the haves and have-nots society that makes up modern Brazil. Other protestors have already got their message across to organisers. During last year’s Confederations Cup, millions took to the city streets in protest.

The organisers have yet to complete the stadiums. The tournament starts on June 12, so there isn’t all that long before the world’s greatest sporting spectacle arrives on Brazilian soil. Aside from the stadiums, experts are predicting that the country’s telecommunications won’t be up to scratch in time for the opening match. Brazil suffers from widespread use of pirate software and a lack of investment in online security so cyber-crimes are commonplace. Online World Cup tickets sales have already been affected and it seems that more disruptions are to come.